Top of the menu for eating out 2009
NO doubt 2009 will go down in history as a year of doom, gloom and banking disaster. Sheffield's pubs and restaurants have taken a hammering like everyone else – but the result has been an unexpected win for their customers.
While one or two old favourites have caved in under the pressure, most have adapted to the tougher market with resilience and imagination. And that has meant greater choice and better quality at the budget end of the scale.
Chef Richard Smith began the year by closing his acclaimed fish restaurant Catch but swiftly reopened it as Canteen, a back-to-basics version of neighbouring Artisan.
Likewise Cary Brown was back in town with the new Mini Bar, offering pared down, tapas-style versions of his old Slammers favourites.
Many pubs and restaurants introduced 'two for a tenner'-type offers, designed to entice wary customers back through the doors. And there were one or two innovations, such as Bistrot Pierre, where good quality and low prices are part of the everyday remit.
But the quality end of the market has flourished, too: the Copthorne Hotel's 18fifty5 restaurant has staked a claim for recognition in Bramall Lane; Nonna's expanded into flagship new premises just over the Derbyshire border in Chesterfield; and the BrewKitchen team ended the year by diversifying into multicultural food with Spice Market Caf.
As the new year dawns there is much to look forward to. Meanwhile, here is our Top 20 selection from 2009, in the order they were reviewed by Lesley Draper, Derek Fish and Julia Armstrong…
Canteen, 32-34 Sandygate Road, Crosspool, Sheffield (0114) 266 6096
Basically the best three-course meal you can get for 12 – or 20, if you fancy wine and coffee, too. No frills, no fancy garnishes, no fussy swirls or curls, just good, honest food: plain, simple and superbly cooked. This is the reincarnation of Richard Smith's former Catch fish restaurant, given a utilitarian make-over and setting a trend for the recession.
Le Bistrot Pierre, 835 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield (0114) 267 8687
Get a taste of French bon vie – and a superb view of Sheffield – at prices that put eating out back on the menu. This swish new French brasserie is just a few hundred yards up the hill from Hunters Bar; an imposing double-storey building, all glass walls and burnished wood cladding. Good food and great value are already enticing diners to go the extra half-mile.
18fifty5 restaurant, Copthorne Hotel, Bramall Lane, Sheffield (0114) 252 5480
A winning restaurant is part of the new four-star hotel adjoining Sheffield United's Bramall Lane stadium. The feel is contemporary, standards are high and the food guides are already taking notice. But be warned: any hopes of a quiet meal are doomed to defeat on match nights.
Beatson House, Darton Road, Cawthorne, Barnsley (01226) 791245
It's six years since we'd last reviewed Beatson House. We enjoyed it then; this time it was even better.
A perfect combination of innovative, top quality food and friendly service.
Caff Piazza, 3-4 York Street/East Parade, Sheffield (0114) 275 7772
A cosmopolitan new addition to the Cathedral Quarter on the site of the former Pollards caf, overlooking the churchyard. Marinko and Nikolina Glavina, who also own La Luna Italian restaurant at Banner Cross, have transformed this coffee shop into a bistro with a distinctly Continental edge.
Derwentwater Arms, Lowside, Calver (01433) 639211
A pub with a view always deserves bonus points and this one overlooks a cricket pitch at the front and Curbar Edge at the back. The Derwentwater Arms, perched high up in the Peak District village of Calver, offers great food, real ale, fine wine and a friendly welcome.
Al Zahir Lebanese Restaurant, 30 Carlisle Street, Sheffield (0114) 275 5355
Tucked away in the industrial area round the back of Burngreave, this restaurant is clean and basic but great value, with a range of grilled food and mezze starters, starring aubergine dip motabel. Portions are generous but it's unlicensed.
The Hidden Tearoom and Bistro, The Stones, Castleton (01433) 620918
Gunpowder, Thunder and Lightening (sic) create an explosive teatime offering. A real taste of the Peak with some of the best scones, jam – and gunpowder tea – in the area. Well worth taking time out to find it.
The Rutland Arms Hotel, The Square, Bakewell (01629) 812812
New head chef Greg Wallace has food down to a fine art at this town centre hotel – for presentation, taste and the 'wow' factor. Not surprising since he worked previously for Marco Pierre White – and sous chef Matt Robinson was at the Savoy Grill and Winteringham Fields.
Losehill House Hotel & Spa, Edale Road, Hope (01433) 622501
The perfect country house retreat, at the heart of the Peak District, where the food is as good as the view. Losehill House is one of the area's best kept secrets: a classic arts & crafts gem tucked away at the end of a leafy lane between Castleton and Hope. The scenery is breathtaking, the welcome is warm and the food is sublime.
Ego, St Paul's Mercure Hotel, 119 Norfolk Street, Sheffield (0114) 278 2004
Impressive food in an equally impressive setting. Mediterranean-style Ego is the reincarnation of the one-time Italian restaurant on the ground floor of St Paul's Hotel. It overlooks Tudor Square on one side and the Winter Garden on another. Part of a 12-strong regional chain founded by Sheffield-based businessman Jonathan Havenhand.
Dosanj, The Plaza, West One, Sheffield (0114) 22276 9384
Chic, contemporary new Indian restaurant run by businessmen Mandip and Manjit Dosanjh. Set at the heart of city living, it combines eastern traditions with modern western influence. The menu is split into north Indian, south Indian, specialities and fusion dishes (a polite way of catering for those who refuse to succumb to spicy cuisine) and the best desserts this side of Kashmir.
Ethio Cubano, 15-23 Arundel Gate, Sheffield (0114) 275 1120
This unassuming-looking place has a welcoming atmosphere and one of the most exotic menus in Sheffield, offering Ethiopian and Cuban specialities. Try the Ethiopian buffet at 10 a head (vegetarian option, too) for spicy little dishes mopped up with fluffy enjera bread. Wash it down with an Ethiopian bottled beer.
All-Siam, 639 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield (0114) 267 0580
The more sophisticated younger sibling of popular Baan Thai, just up the road. It's every bit as authentic but this is the modern face of Thai cuisine – cool and sophisticated but still fiery at heart. It calms the soul, tantalises the tastebuds and raises the bar to a whole new level.
Mini Bar, 85 Junction Road, Hunters Bar, Sheffield (0114) 266 7736
Acclaimed chef Cary Brown is back in town offering miniature dishes at maximum value. His new venture offers a kind of up-market British take on Spanish tapas, with a selection of miniature meals at just a fiver each and delectably cool surroundings to enjoy them in.
Greenhead House, 84 Burncross Road, Chapeltown, Sheffield (0114) 246 9004
Ann and Neil Allen's 17th century cottage restaurant is highly rated but it's not the kind of place where you're expected to stand on ceremony. Featured in the Sheffield Telegraph's first issue 20 years ago, it has matured into a vintage experience that offers top-notch service, award-winning food and timeless charm.
Nonnas, 131 Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield (01246) 380 035
Nonnas mark two: a refined version of the Ecclesall Road original, created in purpose-built premises in Chesterfield. Incorporating cocktail bar, bakery and deli as well as a restaurant, it is glossy and urbane – and setting a new standard in Chatsworth Road, just as the original did in Sheffield 14 years ago.
Rutland Arms, 86 Brown Street, Sheffield (0114) 272 9003
A favourite pub that has been brought back to life by Andy Stephens, formerly of the Wig and Pen. Cheap pub food with a quality edge, using good ingredients. Try the top-price sausage and mash at 7 and marvel at the gravy, made with several kilos of bones that arrive in the kitchen every day. Loads of great hand-pulled beer and attentive staff.
The Red Lion, Church Lane, Litton (01298) 871458
The mantra of landlady Suzy Turner and head chef Tracy Young is 'good, honest, home-cooked pub grub', using fresh, quality, affordable produce. In this age of the quick-fix, microwavable, ready-cooked meals it makes a refreshing change.
Spice Market Caf, 371-373 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield (0114) 266 5541
The perfect answer for those with eclectic food tastes, proving that variety truly is the spice of life. The latest addition to Richard Smith's BrewKitchen stable, it mixes the exotic cuisines of India, Thailand and China with the British love of spices.
Get Pete McKee's cartoon tribute to a great sporting year. Only in this week's Sheffield Telegraph.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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